BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Advocacy groups involved in a federal lawsuit over prison labor at Angola held a press conference in Baton Rouge.
The Promise of Justice Initiative and Rights Behind Bars spoke to the media on Thursday, Feb. 5, after court proceedings wrapped up for the day on the steps of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. “This week in court, we presented evidence that the farm line violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment and endangers people in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” said Samantha Pourciau, Senior staff attorney for the Promise of Justice Initiative.
The groups discussed the first week of testimony in VOTE v. LeBlanc, a class action lawsuit that challenges the “Farm Line” agricultural labor program at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola. The lawsuit argues that the work conditions are dangerous and dehumanizing. “I hurt myself in prison just like as I’m standing here talking to you now, I had a back injury from working in the farm line and my back hurts me right now. So, it wasn’t any it wasn’t a good experience,” said Terrance Winn, a former inmate…